Category Archives: Picnics

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In mid-October 2014, four of us enjoyed a 3-day road trip exploring the wilds of Eastern Cochise County. Ms. Karen & I had planned this trip a few months earlier when we reserved the historic George Walker House in Paradise, AZ for two nights. We were most pleased that Ms. … Continue reading

Arivaca LakePatagonia LakeRoper LakePena Blanca LakeRiggs Flat LakeRose Canyon Lake This summer everyone is looking for ways to get out of the heat, and usually that includes water. So, that said, here is a short list of lakes in the area, accessible within two hours of Tucson, and a little … Continue reading

I imagine that anyone who lives in Tucson, Arizona has passed by the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch along I-10, at Picacho Peak many times. And I imagine that most Tucsonans have, as they passed by doing 85, thought to themselves that some day they would stop in and see what … Continue reading

A while back, we wrote an article to help those First Time Visitors to Tucson. As the weather warms, we suggest a few hidden treasures that those of you who live in or near Tucson may have never heard of; or may have not gotten to yet. When we first … Continue reading

Tubac, The Missions, The Titan Missile Museum, The Mineral Discovery Museum and more! There are two historically important missions south of Tucson just off I-19: Missions San Xavier del Bac and Tumacácori. (pron: san ha’-vee-air and too-ma-ca’-cor-ee) “Bac” was the Papago Indian name for the site. The Papago Indians are … Continue reading

One of the features on Southern Arizona Guide is The Best Picnic Areas In Southern Arizona. Last Sunday, we “discovered” yet another one near the top of Carr Canyon. And yesterday we enjoyed an old favorite among the boulders of Texas Canyon. One reason this is a favorite picnic spot is the Amerind is […]

We delight in the beauty of Southern Arizona. And no place is more magnificent than Saguaro National Park West. When friends & family visit for the first time, we always recommend they visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to learn about our Sononan Desert. We suggest they then go a few … Continue reading

Agua Caliente Park is one of the best picnic spots in Tucson. I was amazed at how many locals were unaware of it. Below is a slideshow of photos I took in April. Below is a map to show you how to get there and this link to Agua Caliente … Continue reading

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Random Thoughts

Arizona Game &Fish Department estimates that about 200,000 coyotes live in Arizona. They are equally at home in the wild, in our cities and in the suburbs; anywhere they can snatch a meal. They are particularly fond of packrats, cottontails, jackrabbits, stray kitty cats and dogs.

If you declaw your cat, best to keep it indoors at all times. Lacking the ability to climb a tree, your cat has no defense against your neighborhood coyotes.

Out here in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains it’s usually very quiet. The most notable exception comes in the middle of the night as ear-piercing screeches of a pack of coyotes squabbling over a rabbit kill.
Over the years, I have lost two big male dogs to coyotes and don’t intend to let that happen again. Coyotes are smarter than dogs. Generally, they have two tactics for bringing down a healthy dog. First, if the pooch is foolish enough to chase them, the coyotes will form a relay. The dog will chase one while the others rest. Then another will allow the dog to chase it. Soon, the dog is exhausted and defenseless. The end comes quickly.

Second, the pack sends a female in heat close to the male canine. She then entices the unsuspecting lothario toward where the rest of the pack is hidden in ambush. Three or four coyotes can eviscerate a large canine in seconds.

Ranchers have tried to decimate the coyote population for more than two centuries. As a teenager, I worked on my father’s cattle ranch in Eastern Oregon. The alfalfa growers had killed almost all the coyotes, mostly by poison. The result: a huge explosion in the rabbit population. And what do rabbits love more than anything? You guessed it. Alfalfa. In the summer of 1963, the alfalfa crops were being decimated by what seemed like millions of rabbits.

Part of my job was to go out into the fields every evening after work and shoot as many rabbits as possible: usually 20 or more a night. The same pattern occurred here in Southern Arizona. Apparently farmers have become a bit more enlightened since they now mostly leave coyotes alone. (Wish we could say that about the now nearly extinct Mexican gray wolf.)

We too have become more enlightened. Every creature has a purpose in the ecosystem. Our attitude is that they were here first and we are the intruders.

We won’t kill our native critters, except under the most extraordinary circumstances. When I say “we”, I can’t include Buddy, our Sonoran Devil Dog. There’s nothing Bud likes better than chasing packrats and rabbits. And if he catches one, he will kill it. So far, our efforts to enlighten him have failed.

We won’t even kill a rattler, even though Bud finds six or seven in our gardens every year. We have a 48-inch professional snake-grabber that we use to relocate the wayward beasts down to a nearby wash and away from the road. Upon release, we politely but firmly tell each snake not to return. To our knowledge none has, even though they are known to be territorial.

(Speaking of critters that inhabit our Southern Arizona neighborhoods, I just finished reading a very insightful and well-written book entitled: There's a Bobcat in My Backyard. This is an Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Guide written by Jonathan Hanson. Highly recommended.)